a few lessons learned in moving

three moves in three years. it sounds insane.
{it is}.

and it was only a week ago that we said our final farewell to minnesota --
to the beautiful place and to the beautiful people.

we traveled a thousand miles this week.
it seems more.
much more.


and just-like-that -- we are back in georgia.
or, well, sort of “just-like-that” ...
because, be assured, there’s a little more to it.

this morning, i sit in our southern house overtaken by cardboard boxes and confusion, impatient with the disorder and disarray. wishing wildly for that magical moving-wand which puts everything in its place and cleans up the chaos.

you’d think a woman who has moved her family three times in three years might have an extra shortcut or two tucked away in her arsenal.
maybe.
maybe a few shortcuts, but no magical moving-wand.
plain and simple, my friends, it takes a little organization, a hefty dose of perseverance and a whole lot of elbow grease.

like most challenges in life, the only way to dig out, is to dig in.

maybe you’ve moved before and you know the drill ...
the days when you can’t believe order will ever be achieved under this new roof.
the days so piled high with belongings and stuff you wonder where in the world it all came from.
the days when you fall exhausted into your sheet-less bed with a bare brushing of the teeth.
the days when you kinda want to meet your new neighbors but secretly hope to goodness they don't come calling while the house (and YOU) look "this way."

yeah, that.

yeah, those kind of days.

our second morning here, rick and i opened 11 kitchen boxes before 7 am in search of some sugar for our coffee. 11 boxes and no sugar. so we just had to give thanks for the coffee.

it’s been almost six days and though we are starting to see some progress, we still don’t have television, internet or a working washing machine and dryer … and, at this point, it's a toss up on which service is more important. the laundry room stinks to high heaven and the kids have gobbled up our data plan like a plate full of chocolate chip cookies fresh from the oven. with three teenagers in the house, i can tell you, both laundry and internet are necessities.

but on the bright side, we have located our coffee, our tooth brushes, the dog leashes and our underwear.

oh, and yes, the sugar. the sugar has also been found. thank heaven for the sugar.

seriously, what more do we need?

there's no way around it, moving shakes things up a bit. not just in the house, but also in the woman. at least in this woman.  i’ll admit, i’m a gal who likes to sort of think she’s in control; a girl who likes to think she has a handle on it all (okay on at least a handle on a little).
but what i’ve learned in moving is: i don’t.

moving has a way of stripping you clean. there's something in the process which reveals a lot. and i’m not just talking about what we find when we move the sofa or pull up the rugs (though that’s disturbing enough to warrant it’s own level of horror). no, i’m talking about when we are stripped away of our false sense of control. when we are faced only with the option of surrender. there's something kind of crazy and confusing and humbling (oh, my goodness h.u.m.b.l.i.ng.) when a crew of people descend on your home, pack up your stuff, fit it on a truck and carry it off … a person quickly realizes that though she can say things like, "oh, be careful with that, please" or "oh, please put that here..." she is really at the mercy of many hands in a move. and though, as we experienced with the truck fire of 2012, that sometimes doesn’t end so well … i, ultimately (and somewhat painfully) think it’s a worthwhile lesson to learn.

lesson #1: we are not in control.

and yet the moving isn’t really about the moving. and it’s not at all about the stuff. as much as i like to decorate and organize it’s not about hanging pictures or assigning a cupboard to the pots and pans, it’s not even about finding everyone’s underwear.

it’s about people.

for us, it’s always about people.

the people we have to leave and the people we get to come back to.

because the exhaustion of physical moving doesn’t compare to the emotion of physical leaving and returning.

i feel it. my kids feel it.

the goodbyes a week ago were rough. brutal in some ways. heart-breaking. we have grown to love so many special friends up north.

and the hellos this week have been sweet. beautiful in lots of ways. heart-warming. we have always loved so many special friends, here, down south.

but either way – coming or going – the emotions are running sky high because we’re people and we love people and we are loved by people.

lesson #2: there are awesome people – forever friends – both in the north and the south! (i know for those of you who don't venture above or below the mason dixon line much, this might be hard to believe ...  but it's true)!

and guess what? we need these friends.

i found this out a long time ago, but i continue to be reminded of it with each new experience. when we moved to the north, i kind of half-hoped i'd have the chance to play the role of hermit. you know, the romantic recluse, holed up in her home out on the lake. i pictured myself curled up fireside writing, reading and feeding my naturally introverted spirit. i saw it as a hiatus from my reputation as an over-involved woman. i had made up my mind to limit my connections and to put the breaks on my busy-ness.

but then, hermit or not, people showed up.

friends came into my life, one by one. people that i desired to know better. people that i couldn't resist wanting to know better. people who i needed. yes, needed. here's a picture of just a few of the warm girlfriends God blessed me with in our two years in cold minnesota. these are some of the girls who came alongside me ... me the woman who thought she didn't need anyone's "coming along."
how thankful i am for them!

that was in the north and coming back to the south, i've found the same thing: this community has the same kind of love. it's the hands and feet love of Christ. after driving a thousand miles we arrived to find my (old) friends had stocked our refrigerator and pantry. it was amazing! my dear friend, karen, has done a couple of loads of laundry for me this week. she's also helped me (when i was still up in minnesota) with some interior design choices: measurements, light fixtures and cabinetry. this week we've had friends drop off dinners and pickup children. these are the very same friends who have been coming alongside us for the past 15 years. friends who were with us through babies and adoption and cancer. that kind of love is priceless.

north or south, what would i do without my friends?

lesson #3: we need other people.

friendship is good. it’s all good. even the sadness of saying good-bye. we’ve done it now two times. two years ago in georgia and now in minnesota. was it worth it?
yes. yes. yes. yes. YES! YES!

it was a risk.
i know people questioned us. “how can you pick up a family of seven and move a thousand miles away?”
don’t you know how hard this is for kids, for teenagers, for you?”

yep, people questioned it when we made that first big move.
heck, WE questioned it!

but it was so worth the risk. my emily summed it up beautifully last week in her instagram post:

this is the same girl who stood at the delta counter two years ago sobbing that she’d “never find friends like the ones she had in georgia.”
and now she (and all of us) shed tears to leave what we found in minnesota.

worth all this coming and going? worth all these tears?
 to quote a few northern people i know, “you betcha!”


lesson #4:  it’s good to take a little bit of a risk. even if it involves some heartbreak, headache and tears.

my wise friend, diana, texted me that we need to find “joy in the tears.” is that possible? yes. because, as a.a. milne said, "how lucky am i to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." 

our final night in minnesota, di captured our girls in this photo. her own beautiful form of photographic torture. what a picture! right? people who don’t even know us can look at this and want to cry!

it’s precious and it’s a precious reminder of God’s provision. because, honestly, that’s the other big lesson we’ve learned: God provides. always.

this little friendship between bella and emme is a perfect reminder of how God takes care of us whether we are moving or staying.

i mean it might be a little strange if i lined up all my kids with all their special friends, stuffed bears and balloons … so this photo is just going to have to represent the same thing for all of us.
(if you are big into being fair then just go ahead imagine the rest of my kiddos and their buddies lined up on the shoreline with the sunset and these props)!

but seriously, lesson #5: God provides. 

when we moved to minnesota two years ago, i had this crazy kind of prayer on my heart. well, let’s be honest, i had a lot of crazy kind of prayers on my heart. for that matter, i had a lot of just plain crazy. but one of the things i kept talking to God about was (and this might sound weird) a chinese friend for bella. not that i only ever want chinese friends for bella … not at all … but i wanted at least one. one. you see, for some strange reason, i had this vision that everyone “up north” was blond-haired, blue-eyed and named olsen. and though there are a lot of them and that’s cool, something in me desired a friend for bella who might share her story a little. sound strange? maybe it is. i don’t know, but God just laid that on my heart.  i mean it people, He LAID it on my heart. like i couldn’t escape that prayer request. and so i just kept praying it.

emme and bella's first play date

and then y’all know the story. first day of school at chapel hill and BAM! there she was, “little emme.” little emme AND her mama … right there waiting for us. like God could have just wrapped them up in a big red ribbon and said, “see jody. see, I provide. I heard you and I always provide.”

me and my pal, diana.

and we got not only a good buddy for bella, but i got a good buddy in her mom, too! crazy, right?

and isn’t this really just like God – to provide immeasurably more than we can ask or think up or imagine?

“now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to the power that is at work within us. to Him be the glory!” ~ ephesians 3:21

and that’s another lesson we learned up north: not does He just provide, but He provides in abundance. He didn’t just provide for bella and me, He provided abundantly for each of us. i could tell you more stories than just these ... because each one of my children is leaving minnesota with the blessing of dear friends.

lesson #6: God provides abundantly!

lesson #7: God hears our prayers – even the strange ones!

God is in charge of the destination and God is in charge of the details. He can go before us, come behind us and take care of everything all around us. we move (for some of us a lot). He never moves. He never shifts or changes. He is constant. and He is constantly with us.

lesson #8: God moves mightily, but He never changes.

and as i drove away from minnesota just a week ago, i found myself a little overwhelmed with the thought of what was ahead. the truck. the boxes. the stuff. the mess. but more than that … i found myself overwhelmed with the lessons i have really learned in moving three times in three years.

stuff is stuff.
people are important.
God always provides.
God is with us – whether we travel 1 mile or 1000.

and drinking your coffee without sugar (once in a while) is okay.

AND ... having a great friend who also happens to be a great photographer is an added blessing. these photos below also came from our last night in minnesota when diana whisked away our two littles while i was doing the final big pack and clean. i will miss diana's amazing photographs, but she knows, as much as i love her pictures, i will miss her 1000 times more.

so, i wrote this saturday morning ... and now, i'm posting on sunday evening. i should probably tell you the good news: after a visit from a tenacious (and super nice) plumber, we have a working washer and dryer today! still no tv or internet ... BUT. we. are. getting. there!

this leaving minnesota

it wasn't supposed to be this hard.

this leaving minnesota.

and yet, as the time draws closer,  the lump in our throats grows bigger, the emotions run higher, and the sadness of soon good-bye grows deeper.

after two years in this lovely state, it is time to say farewell.

by the end of next week, our house will be packed up and we will be heading back to georgia.

some of you are well aware. some of you had no idea.

i haven't said a whole lot about it publicly, but that's been our game plan for a while now. it's one of those things which isn't 100% easy to explain. we had the option to go back to atlanta and that's what we chose. there's no job change or anything like that ... just the chance to go back to what feels most like home. back to the place we spent almost 15 years. with emily heading off to college and sarah beginning high school, this seemed to be the best year to make this big transition.

except minnesota has woven itself into us in ways we weren't expecting. and, now, in these final days before departure, we feel a little tangled up in all that we love here: the people, the friends, the schools, the church, the lakes, the beauty, the summer ... 

but, mostly, the people.

God has been so good in providing an amazing community for us in these two years. so very good. it seems almost impossible we've become so attached to so many ... so quickly ... so deeply. it's what the body of Christ does though. north or south, east or west, when you serve the same God the connections are strong and deep and sure.

our family is living proof of this provision.

it will be hard to leave these new found friends in this new found land. very hard.

many of them have become family.  they love us. we love them. 

bittersweet. i can think of no other more perfect word for this parting.

when we made this big move to minnesota two years ago, i never imagined what God had in store for us. i was riddled with doubts about what we were doing. i spent that summer of 2012 certain we had missed God's will and we were possibly even making a mistake. somedays those doubts bordered on that frightening line of despair. i know my posts back then were filled with adventure and my very best bravery ... but deep inside this mother's heart, i was scared out of my mind: what if it was all wrong. what if this time we had really messed up. what if we had missed the signs. what if. what if. what if ...

and though it didn't happen overnight, God, slowly and surely and perfectly, revealed the beauty of His plan for our family in minnesota.

despite the negative degree days in winter, we were supposed to be here. 

despite the pain of good-byes and the hassle of moving homes, we were supposed to be here. 

despite all the things we had to acclimate to, transition through, and readjust ourselves within, we were supposed to be here.

despite all the challenges and upheavals and boxes to unpack, we were right where God wanted us.

the blessing of these two years in this too-cold-land are too many to count.

i can honestly say, our lives are richer, fuller, better for the time we spent "up north."

lake-living, intense cold, beautiful snow, ice-fishing, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, smart wool and good gear, photography, boating, jet-skiing, cabin-life, wild lilacs, walleye, new accents, dark green grass, winding trails, sunsets and sunrises on water, wildflowers roadside, bonfires and bike rides, hot dishes and bars and snow at christmas (and easter) ...

heck, emily even got to be part of a state championship volleyball team!

there's been so much. so, so much.

and so i can hear some of you asking: then why are you leaving? and though it's a good question and one we have been wrestling with for months and months, i am not going to attempt to spell it all out in this blog post. i can't. there are deep things which sway us in both directions and we had to make a decision. and i can only assure you, it wasn't an easy decision to make. we've waffled. we've felt pulled in both places. we basically wanted both. {of course we did}.  i've admitted before, i'm a girl who likes her cake and wants to eat it, too!

in my mind, i'd like to mix all the best things of the north and the south. a lovely combining of all these wonderful friends in both places ... summer in minnestoa, winter in georgia, churches, schools, etc... just this incredible mixture of everything most amazing.

it doesn't work that way though -- at least not on this side of heaven.

sometimes we have to choose. and when we choose one, we grieve the other. that's the place i'm at right now. excited about reuniting with our life in georgia, grieving what we leave behind in minnesota.

is it the right choice? again, i am not 100% certain. we've done our best to discern God's will, to measure the cost, to make the plan. neither rick nor i have received a direct message in this decision. there was no clear email or bold text from God in these past months. we've sorted it out, wrestled it out, plotted it out and prayed it out. {a lot}.

you know what i'm talking about. sometimes God remains quiet. don't get me wrong, God isn't ever confused or in a state of chaos, but sometimes He's quiet.

two years ago, when we made this move to minnesota, i wrote a post using helen keller's words, "life is either a daring adventure or nothing." { http://eventhesparrow843.blogspot.com/2012/02/daring-adventure-and-something.html } and after these two years, i believe this more than ever before. there is no regret in our decision to spend two years up north. none. not even when we were on our 39th day of negative degree cold. not even next week when we can't find our underwear or extension cords or coffee pot. no regret. not even in the fact that this will be our third move in three years. no regret. our family leaves this beautiful place better for our time spent here ... better and more certain of God's goodness and provision.

last week we were leaving a grad party when we came across the bumper sticker "no risk. no story." rick pointed it out to us as we walked to our car ... cool. we believe that. we believe that in our family ... we believe that in our faith.

one of the strong "pulls"back south is to put down roots again. i long for a swing set to be assembled in the backyard for bella, for pencil marks on the wall measuring inches and years, for an address that everyone knows. adventure and risk can be awesome, but i long for things familiar and frayed with everyday routine. of course i do, i'm a mother.  but let's be honest, even those normal things can feel a little risky. even the returning right back to where we came from has it's measure of risk and "what ifs." though we are excited about settling into the home we purchased back in johns creek and weaving ourselves back into our same old church and school community, we know there are a lot of unknowns even there. things change. people change. we've changed.

but, what we have learned in these last few years, is this: even with crazy, crazy change, God stays the same.
"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." ~ hebrews 13:8

and even though when the goodbyes come next week, it will be harder than any of us ever thought possible, i know that our connections in Christ will continue to run deep and strong and sure. we might not be doing everyday life with these dear ones up north, but there is no distance in God's family.

all week i've had this crazy song from the musical "wicked" running through my head. "for good."
elphaba and glinda's lyrics don't perfectly fit our situation, but there are a few lines which certainly do. "because i knew you ... i have been changed for good."

minnesota, there's no doubt, because we knew you, we have been changed for good.

with those lyrics running through my head, i was prompted to put together a few pictures of our time here. easier said than done. i've tried to capture the highlights, the experiences, the beauty, the people, but even two years are hard to put in a neat little package. not to mention, it was a little bit of self-torture going through the photos and great memories of these last two years. a couple of times i had to close my computer screen and walk away from the project. it doesn't capture everything. two years doesn't allow the chance to get photographed with every dear friend ... but it's something and it will be a sweet thing for our family. and for that i'm glad. plus, it has been a nice escape from all the boxes and packing details!
if you're interested, i'm including the link. and who knows, maybe the state of minnesota will pay me for some good travel publicity!

lessons from the weather

"don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while."  ~  hubbard 

there's been a lot of talk this month about it.

seems no one in the country has completely escaped its effects.

winter has hit january hard and, of course, we've all got something to say regarding the weather. and because we're people and human and sinful, we're doing our share of both grumbling and judging.

the north has had several "cold days" this month. everyone up here is walking around in a bit of daze, mumbling things like, "this never happens ... this has never happened." it's like a stripping of some kind of pioneer pride. i can't tell you the number of people who have tried to explain to me that in 50 years of living in minnesota, they can't ever remember school closing because of cold weather. "we just don't do that in minnesota," they say. but folks, it's been minus 20 degrees off and on this month. holy moly --- it's okay to let the pioneering rules bend just a bit. no one, i assure you, is questioning our hardiness.

well, on second thought, i did run into a nice older man at the gym this week. he was parked next to me and when i was getting into my car he noticed i had a sticker from our childrens' elementary school. he said he was a grandpa to a couple of students there and asked if school was cancelled yet for tomorrow. i told him it was possible. he humphed and then went on in an indignant voice to say, "that's crazy, i was raised a farm boy in minnesota and we never missed a day of school for the weather!"
but because it was -15 degrees as we were standing there in the parking lot chatting, and death by freezing was imminent, i wasn't able to explore this conversation any further with him. my feet, clad only in a pair of nikes, were beginning to go numb and my sweaty head was beginning to frost over, so i did my best to cut him off, save my life and hop into the car.

the north isn't the only one getting some extreme weather this month, the south was slammed with an incredible storm this week as well. a storm which in a matter of hours went from fun and frolick to grief and gridlock. tuesday night, via facebook and some texts, i was hearing story after story of the utter craziness occurring in our old town. i was also privy to countless stories of wonderful people helping out those stranded and in need. one friend took in several strangers for the night. another friend walked several miles to bring home someone else's children from school. it sounded like a nightmare, but many took it as an opportunity to serve others and to rise up and above the weather. i love that angle. southern hospitality at its finest!

but unfortunately, there's another angle that often shows up when it comes to bad weather. north or south, people are doing what they do when hard times happen  -- they are pointing fingers and finding blame. they are asking why it wasn't handled better or why someone in charge didn't do something faster.

and i feel for the south, especially this week.

they sorta can't win.

i lived there for almost 15 years. it's kind of a strange place to be when winter weather comes calling.

had the authorities called off school and closed down the town too early, then people would have poked fun at them for their extreme pre-caution and southern-kind of panic.
believe me, i've heard all of the jokes.

in the situation this week, they let it go too long (not a typical reaction) and got themselves into a real fine mess. and of course there's all sorts of criticism for that, too.

it's easy to sit somewhere else ... cast the stones, make the calls, issue the "they-should-haves." it's always easy to judge from a distance. just as it's easy for us in the north who deal every day with several feet of snow and temperatures in the negatives to feel kind of smug. we shake our heads at the south and think to ourselves, "well, they should try out minnesota for a few days. they'd die! you betcha!"

i'm totally laughing as i type right now. just outside my window the gusting snow is creating some kind of wild hurricane of white!

it's true, the south can overreact a bit -- i lived there ... i know.
but it's also true, the north can be a wee bit judgmental -- i live here ... i know.

{i fully realize i am probably losing friends in both regions as i pound out these thoughts -- but, please, let me continue}.

the thing is, i do understand both reactions. the south isn't prepared to deal with snow and ice and so they have to be extra cautious. no one should blame them. the north is prepared and able to tough out winter (because, hello! winter lasts 6 months and we have no other choice), but it's still hard for people up here to understand the panic down there.

just this morning i sent my teenagers off to school in slippery,white-out conditions, with a kiss, a "be careful," and, of course, a prayer.

our family is all mixed up. we were northerners living in the south and now we're southerners living in the north. (you can only imagine our accents)! so we really do understand both sides of the great mason dixon line weather controversy. and maybe that's what makes me tolerant of all the opinions, jokes and editorial comments.

but it was something my dad said to me on the phone yesterday that got me wanting to write this post. (he, by the way, lives in ohio). he said, "jod, you're doing pretty well in minnesota. i think it's just in your DNA." meaning i come from tough stock, i guess. nice to know. he then went on to offer his observation on the weather:

"hey, here's the deal, i can be miserable up north in the extreme winter cold or i can be miserable down south in the extreme summer heat. i can  --- it's easy to complain about it either way." 

and then he let out a big "OR..."
 --- and i knew there was more coming from my dad. (there usually is).

 "OR," he said, "i can be content up north in the extreme winter cold and content down south in the extreme summer heat."


you know what my dad was saying -- it's a choice. it's what we make it. it's how we look at it. because life has hardship, we will always have something to complain about or something to be judgmental over. always. there's no shortage of fuel for the fire of our discontent or our discredit of others because we are broken people living in a broken world.

north or south or east or west it just comes with the territory of our humanity.

and we can sit and grumble and gripe about the temperatures being too high or too low. we can complain about what comes forth from the sky:  too little sun, too much snow, too little rain, too much wind ... sure, we can. that doesn't take any special skill or any extra effort.

OR ... we can learn a couple of lessons from the weather:

LESSON #1: we can't be in control of how the weather reacts.
and i honestly think that's one of the reasons people get so bent out of shape over it. we can't do a single thing about it. we have no control -- and we don't exactly like how that works. we can plan the perfect outdoor wedding in junw and it can rain. we can plan a trip to the beach and it can be unseasonably cold. we can even head to the mountains to ski and find the powder a little bit lacking. we aren't in control and i think that's what makes most of us the most crazy.

LESSON #2: we can be in control of how we react. 
weather comes from God. i know scientists have all their amazing science stuff to explain it ... and that's good and pretty cool. but truly, it is God who sends the storms, holds back the waters, strikes the lightning, showers the rain, blows the wind, dries up the deserts, and releases the snow flurries ... it's Him. it's His deal. He's the one in control. and if we believe "every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights..." (james 1:17), than we have to believe that the weather is also from Him above ... and that it is good and perfect -- in HIS opinion, not ours.

but i get it. i wouldn't want rain on my wedding day either. i write this, but honestly, i have my moments of grumbling and complaining too. of course i do! i am throwing this out there to whoever wants to read it ... but, as is usually the case, i am writing it mostly to myself. my dad said i had good DNA ... and yeah, i have a little bit of his "tough it out" kind of attitude, but really, more than good DNA or thick blood, i just want to be grateful for what God gives. even when it rains (or snows) a little on my parade.

i want to learn to look at the weather, whatever it might be, and see God -- see His beauty, His creation, His control ... and give thanks even in the stormy parts of life for His good and perfect gifts.

I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.

 I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation,

whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

                                                                                                  ~ philippians 4:12

by the way, you have my permission to remind me of those words if you happen to hear me grumbling in the next blizzard!

no complaints from these two -- they LOVE the snow!

can't deny it, snow gives a nice backdrop for photos! =) but then again, so does the beach. 

these two bring me JOY whatever the weather!

baby, it's cold outside!

the seven mcnatts doing our laundry in minnesota today!

here in minnesota, we woke this morning to -22 degrees. that's MINUS 22 degrees. i won't be able to describe for you what that feels like because i have no plans to open the door today. we are staying in.

incredibly, school is closed. {school never closes in minnesota ... it's almost unheard of}. but with wind chills reaching -50, the governor has declared school cancelled -- good move, mr. governor!

i know we are not alone in this severe weather. all across the country cities and citizens are reeling from the reality of their wintry forecasts. in these parts, we, at least, tend to be pretty well-prepared. there's probably even a tiny bit of pride attached. but the truth is, we have no choice. bad weather just comes with the territory here in the frozen tundra. you learn to expect it. you learn to deal with it. you learn to work around it.

recently, i heard a minnesota friend say, "there is no bad weather, only bad clothing choices."

it seems upon moving to minnesota last year, we arrived just in time for the longest winter of the century (last winter) and perhaps, today, for the coldest day in over a century. i don't know if that's true or not, but regardless, our timing has truly been impeccable.

and since our move, i have wondered, again and again, how the ingalls family ever survived in their log cabin and creekside dwelling in the winter of the late 1800s. as a child, i read through the little house books several times. i knew the stories inside and out. i devoured them. i acted them out with my sisters and neighbors. i, on more than one occasion, dreamed of being laura or mary or ma. i never missed a sunday evening episode on our 19 inch zenith televsion set. i can hum the theme song and see the girls running down that prairie hill like i was running right there with them. but since moving to minnesota, i just cannot wrap my brain around a family surviving minnesota in weather like this.

we have it easy. we have our heated floors and our heated garages and our heated seats. heck, i even have a heated steering wheel! we have our insulated, thermalized, high-tech-clothing. we have our smart wool socks and our fur-lined and water-proofed boots. we have the ability to press buttons and get heat and coffee and fire ...and even groceries delivered. we have four wheel drive and snow tires and 24 hour plow service ...

and still ... it can be hard.

when i agreed to come north, i thought about the ingalls family. the romantic in me was enchanted with the idea of a pioneer spirit. maybe a pioneer in the 21st century is a rather far-fetched idea, but still ... i was game for some adventure. i mean i didn't really have visions of sending my children off for a nine mile walk to the school house in nothing more than a pinafore, a thin flannel coat and some flimsy wet boots. and i was pretty sure i wasn't going to have to tie a rope from the back door of the house to the barn in a blizzard -- like laura's family did. we weren't going to have a barn or farm animals, for that matter. (well, maybe the farm animal thing is somewhat debatable considering the size of our dogs).  but still, i knew it would all be brand new for my southern raised kids. i knew it would be different.

and it has been. quite different. and sometimes hard. but, sort of in a good way, too. i know that's tricky to explain, but i've enjoyed watching my children learn to prepare; learn to figure things out. boots and hats and gloves aren't negotiable up here. thankfully, cold weather clothing has made great strides in the fashion department this century, but we still dress for warmth and practicality. weather must be watched. care must be taken. and those are good things for all of us to learn. whether it's my son heading out to ice fish with his buddies or my daughter driving to a movie with a friend ... they have to be prepared. heck, when the ten year old walks down to the mailbox, he's got to be prepared too!

now, i'm really not trying to compare us to the ingalls family of the 1880s ... but i do think, even now, with all of our gear and all of our good cold weather ideas, we can learn a lesson or two. maybe i'm being a tad too romantic or idealistic ... but there's a part of me which, even on this cold day, warms and wants to embrace the adventure of learning, preparing and pioneering!  (albeit, inside our climate controlled, double-pane-windowed, incredibly insulated home with the heated garage)!

and where some of us might like a little bit of adventure every now and then, probably most of us don't like when things are hard or a hassle. (like my daughter's car failing to start this morning when she was ready to leave a sleepover at her friend's house). it was inconvenient for me to drive over to get her ... (plus, remember, i had no plans to leave the house) ... but it is what it is, right? and that's the other thing living in minnesota has taught us -- you just have to roll with things sometimes. you have to shovel yourself a path ... you have to take time to add a few layers ... and sometimes, you have to go jump start your daughter's car (or call your husband) ... but really it's about our perspective and attitude. i could easily grumble and complain about some of these things -- or i can choose to look for a lesson or a silver lining.

none of us sail through life. and you know why that is? -- because it wasn't designed for us to sail through. (gasp). i know. surprising, right? somehow, there's something in us which innately believes that life should be easy and smooth and always delightful. but, you and i both know deep down, that's not the case. it might help us to be reminded of that. c.s. lewis says it better:

“If you think of this world as a place simply intended for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable: think of it as a place for training and correction and it's not so bad.” C.S. Lewis

pretty brilliant, right? it really is about how we {choose} to see things and how we {choose} to think about them. lewis isn't suggesting we walk around expecting the sky to fall, but he is saying, that when it does, there's something to be learned, maybe even something to be gained.

unfortunately, we live in a culture that is trying its best to convince us that our purpose in life is to be happy. and as he writes, we'll find it "quite intolerable" if that is what we want to believe.

so this cold weather thing, yeah, it's harsh. and, yes, it can even be hard. but listen to the words of charles ingalls and the gift he gives his daughter when he's willing to search for something good even in the midst of bitter winter:

“It can't beat us!" Pa said.
"Can't it, Pa?" Laura asked stupidly.
"No," said Pa. "It's got to quit sometime and we don't. It can't lick us. We won't give up."
Then Laura felt a warmth inside her. It was very small but it was strong. It was steady, like a tiny light in the dark, and it burned very low but no winds could make it flicker because it would not give up.” 
― Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Long Winter

"more than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us." ~ romans 5:3-5

and remember, 

if you are considering a visit ...

head covering isn't negotiable!

for those of you following tyler's knitting career:
this is one of his own creations he sported this week while ice fishing.

since writing this post earlier today, the governor called again ... school is cancelled for tuesday. i have a feeling this is an all time first in minnesota!

the nomads have landed

*** i wrote this on wednesday...but haven't had time to edit it until today -- sunday -- and that's only because it's mother's day and the family forced me to sit still! so if the timeline in my writing seems somewhat skewed...that's why!  everything gets a little skewed when you move... everything! oh...and happy mother's day!

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so it's been one week and one day.  and tonight is the first night since moving that i haven't fall into bed whimpering in total exhaustion.

you think i'm kidding.

i'm not.

moving is hard stuff.  and i think for a personality such as mine, it's especially hard.  i don't pace myself all that well. surprise. surprise. i want to do everything right away. immediate results. this week has been an 8 day sprint of unpacking boxes, situating stuff, painting random things, figuring out sheets and towels and pillows, measuring for rugs, hanging a thousand pictures, buying a kitchen table, hunting for chairs, planting flowers, organizing closets and cupboards and shelving.... yadda yadda yadda....

the people who bought our house in georgia last year also wanted our kitchen table set and for some reason we thought that would be a good idea.  so we sold it to them.  i had kind of forgotten that we were in need of such a basic necessity.  so, for the first few days we ate our dinner in odd places:  on the sofa.  standing at the counter.  sitting on the kitchen floor.  i ate a sandwich one day on the back steps.  you do odd things when you move.  you improvise a little.  you even comprise a bit.

but i don't want to comprise, i want to control.  i want everything all lined up and all things perfectly in place.  and i want it all done in a day.  God created the world in a week and then rested.  yet, somehow, i think i can set up a new house in less than 7 days and not need to rest.  wrong!  God was pretty clear on that topic: "and on the 7th day He rested."  well, for me, in my fallen, headstrong state, on the 7th day i didn't rest and instead ended up getting the flu.  yes, the flu. just another reminder that God's way is always better.

i know some of you clicked on my blog post tonight to see some pictures.  you'd like a little glimpse into our new home.  well, there's no lovely slideshow put together at the moment...because there's still lots and lots of unlovely disorder.  some corners are coming together...some have yet to be tackled.  i'll include a few pictures though...because, i get it, i like pictures too!

here's a view of the family room.  i really, really love this room.  aren't the ceiling beams cool? the family who built this house had a great love for all things southwest.  so, some of the design elements go in that direction. but my knock-off pottery barn decorating does a decent job meshing with it all.  thankfully our stuff works well with this house and some things were able to just come in and sit themselves down like they had always belonged here.  i like it when that happens, but it didn't happen everywhere, i assure you.  the magic moving wand never showed up this week, but, but better yet,  a few friends came to help unpack boxes.  some brought a meal.  some picked up my kids.  and all that worked together to lessen this wild woman's moving mania.  attending sarah's two day volleyball tournament out of town last weekend and getting slammed with the flu didn't help, but i am digging my way out and the good news is i

feel better today than i did yesterday.  and the really good news is we can find things today that we couldn't quite locate a few days ago.

it has taken me no less than 8 days to sit down with my computer.  there was just no way i was writing a single word one minute sooner.  not when we couldn't find the spoons or the sheets or our underwear.  not when our closets were just a tangled heap (and i do mean heap) of clothes and shoes and belts (but alas, no underwear). not when we couldn't remember which way to the basement or which switch turned off the foyer light.  not when we were still running into giant walls of cardboard boxes stacked high full of who-knows-what.  it takes time, and it takes lots of it.  acclimating to a new home is different for each one of us.

of course connor wanted to figure out how his bike felt on the slope of the new driveway. that was his priority upon moving.  tyler was enamored immediately with the creek in our backyard.  day two here he scooped out a large carp with his fishing net.  first fish of the season and it happened in our new creek. hooray for him! (i have no pictures of this event because i couldn't find my camera on day two...the camera showed up somewhere around day four). emily has spent the entire first week holed up in her bedroom decorating and redecorating her new space.  (she has the most awesome new room --

emily's curtains!

eldest child privilege, i suppose). she's like a young woman setting up housekeeping (on her parents' dime).  i think she has been to every target in minneapolis trying to find the perfect window treatment (that means "curtain" for the domestically challenged).  sarah has spent the week gone.  yep, she's barely been here.  between a 3 day volleyball tournament in rochester and then a class trip to camp forest springs, it seems she's barely slept in her own bed this week.  but her room is coming along too.  my plan is to hang pictures for her before she arrives home tonight.   bella is bella.  she embraces everything she experiences with great joy.  she is thrilled  with her new blue and yellow toile room, even though it matches none of her stuff....she doesn't care.  she's just thrilled to have all her toys out of storage.  i wish you could see her as each box opens -- it's like this crazy, intense christmas for her. toy after toy after toy. "oh mom, i forgot about that!"  that stuffed animal, that doll, that puzzle, that game, that book, that barbie doll....


and i felt exactly the same way as i opened boxes which had sat in storage for this past year.  as each item was brought in by our team of movers i marveled at what i had forgotten we owned. actually i marveled at how much we owned!  i stood at the front door as they carried things in making snap decisions on where each thing was going to go.  "take that to the master bedroom, please."  and "that one goes to the basement..."  and "oh, this, this can go to the office." on and on and on it went.  it was like christmas for a while, but then it quickly turned into a halloween nightmare.  there was so much stuff i wasn't sure what to do with.  we had everything arrive to this new house on the same day.  two separate teams of movers.  one team moving us out of the lake house and a second team moving all of our items from the storage facility.  that equalled something like 12 or 13 men working in our home all day tuesday.  can you say chaos?

this armoire was in our bedroom...
now it's down in the family room!

it has been a crazy week to say the least, but it's also been a fun one.  thankfully, i kind of like "playing house."  i mean as a mother of five, i don't have to PLAY house, i really have to seriously RUN a house.  but with a move of this magnitude, i do have an excuse to just stay home (sort of), hunker down and decorate to my heart's abandon.  i like that.  i like figuring it all out like some kind of giant puzzle.  new picture groupings and furniture used in new places.  it's fun to mix it all up and see what comes out in the end.  a mirror from the family room now up in a bedroom.  a lamp from the bedroom now down in the dining room.  that kind of thing.  it might stress some of you out, but i like it -- well, for the most part i like it.

and then of course there's the oodles of stuff that can't be used.  items which don't work in this new house.  i cannot bear to see it all sit unemployed in our basement storage...that bothers me.  it bothers me that we have too much stuff.  it is staggering to see what we've accumulated in our (almost) 23 years of marriage.  i will spend my summer sorting through it and taking countless trips to goodwill.  i did that when we left atlanta last year, but there's more to do! there's always more to do. it is usually about this point in the move when i start toying with the idea of selling it all -- or giving it all away -- and taking to the open road.  me, my family and my camera.  maybe in a gigantic RV.  one which would comfortably hold 2 adults, 5 children, 2 large dogs and a cat. we could homeschool -- or RV school -- and travel the great states of america.  visit the grand canyon, the liberty bell and niagra falls in one fell swoop! after unpacking the 700th box of random stuff, i begin to dream nightly of such an adventure.

but as much as i'd love to view myself as an adventurous woman with a gypsy heart...i'm not. i'm just not that brave.  somehow, at some point,  i think rick would have to return to work (kids are expensive) and i'd end up with those 5 kids, 2 dogs and cat behind the wheel of that giant RV somewhere near reno.   and that image alone causes me to chicken out big time on this particular american dream.

but oh the things which moving shakes free!  even after all the stuff came through the door on tuesday, more stuff has kept coming. because that's life.  back packs are emptied, a volleyball medal is brought home, flowers from a neighbor, much needed groceries are carried into the kitchen, new curtains and finally a kitchen table arrive.  the stuff keeps showing up.  every day new stuff walks through my door.  this weekend bella attended a princess birthday party at an art studio and came home with a giant purple painted clay crown.  "where should we put it mommy?"  she asked.  oh, that question.  i stared at her dumbstruck.  i had no answer.  i was in the process of "where should i put it?" with a zillion and one household items.  where should i put this picture or that plant or this candlestick or that canister....where oh where does it all need to go?  i just simply couldn't add a giant purple painted clay crown to the list at the moment.

but slowly we are figuring it out.  we are figuring out what needs to stay or move or shift... and what needs to go.  what needs to be given away.  what needs to thrown away.  it's a fascinating business this moving thing.  and by the way, i really do think i could start up a consulting business on how to pack and move a home in 10 easy steps. it occurred to me last week that in our 23 years of marriage, rick and i have moved 11 times.  that breaks down into moving every 25 months or so.  some of those moves were just after college and really, really quick.  and some of those moves were local.  we moved in order to get something with a better yard or a bigger basement or something.  we've only moved for business 3 times.  once out of college.  once from ohio to georgia.  and last year from georgia to minnesota.  so, the bottom line is, i really do know how to do this.  the poor packers and movers we used found out right away what a bossy cow i am.  when i was explaining to one man how i wanted him to pack something specific, he said, "you've clearly done this before." i just smiled.  rick would add to that "don't mess with her."  i think he told the kids that one night at dinner this week.  "don't mess with mom right now."  and they haven't.  they've been good little soldiers as i've asked them to carry this or move that.  each of us has made a million trips up and down the stairs as we've shifted life from one house to another.

the good news is, we have found our underwear...and everything else is coming together.  of course we miss the lake.  the very day we moved away it was finally clear of ice -- at least from our vantage point.  and with our arrival at this new home, spring has also finally arrived.  i kind of like the tidiness of that timing.  one chapter closes and another opens.  we have some beautiful woods out back with a creek running through them.  the lake is gone, but i do get to watch the lime green of spring sneak out from the trees in this next week.  even since we've arrived here i've noticed smooth bark begin to bud and then leaf.  a few days ago i found minne in the backyard sitting and staring at the creek, as if she was thinking, "where did the lake go?"  it feels like that a little bit right now...leaving one home and setting up another.  and all of it pretty quick -- even for this impatient woman.  but regardless of the setting or the city or the color of pain on the kitchen walls...we're the same mcnatt family. we're together. we're thankful.  and we're home.

now for a little glimpse of the new digs...

the foyer -- welcome!

the office.  in shambles now...but lots of potential.

my desk nook off the kitchen...this is as clean as you'll ever see it.

a collage of pictures in the basement...did this last night!

but here's where most of our pictures are...along the baseboards...still trying to figure out where to put them.

i am really enjoying this kitchen...pretty and functional. 

the much needed kitchen table.  those ladder back chairs belonged to my parents first dining room set.  i love them -- my parents and the chairs!  now...just imagine two distressed blue-gray arm chairs on either end.  i'm on the hunt!

i added new pillows to our old, brown couch...an inexpensive way to freshen things up!

 

i love seeing how our old things work in new ways...in new spaces.  

another angle of the family room.  see that mantle?  beautiful, but i'm struggling on what to do there...any ideas, send them my way!

i have big plans for this wall.  photos and words.  it runs between the kitchen and my office.  and i can't wait to tackle this project!

one of my most favorite items to come out of storage -- my piano! it had accidentally gone into storage and i've missed it terribly.  this is the same piano i learned to play on as a child.  (it's old).  =)

the screened in porch.  empty except for the picture i plan to hang out there.  empty and waiting for some wicker furniture.  maybe mother's day??? hint. hint.

a nice big mud room for minne!

the long, winding driveway back to our house.  one of the best things about this house is the wooded setting and wrap around creek.

 here's a bit of normal:  ty's soccer/lax net set up in the backyard.

glad to have our patio set back.  really, really glad to finally see some forsythia blooming! (that's the yellow stuff).

finally...a flower pot by the back door.
i put these there before i had finished unpacking.  just had to. the orange makes me happy. the fact that it's warm enough to plant something makes me even happier.